Disease × agent evidence record

Indomethacin for Rheumatoid Arthritis: evidence, trials and status

Synthesis-level literature links Indomethacin to Rheumatoid Arthritis, but no registered trial in this database tests the pair, so the evidence is observational, pooled from other indications, or pre-dates registry practice.

0 registered trials 0 recruiting 10 publications Evidence tier A · Strong Score 50.0
Research Tracker › Pairs › Rheumatoid Arthritis › Indomethacin
Research map, not treatment advice. This page aggregates registry and literature records. It does not evaluate efficacy, dosing or safety for any individual. Discuss any treatment decision with a qualified clinician.

Summary

Indomethacin has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Rheumatoid Arthritis would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis. No registered clinical trial in this database tests Indomethacin specifically in Rheumatoid Arthritis. The evidence below comes from published literature only, so any clinical signal has not yet been tested prospectively against this condition in a registered study. The literature layer holds 10 publications for this pair: 2 Cochrane reviews, 1 meta-analysis, 2 systematic reviews and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 1999 to 2022. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.

The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Rheumatoid Arthritis ranks 544 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: 11% achieve drug-free remission (DFR) at median 74 months; most cohorts show 10-15% DFR ceiling.

Open in Repurposing ExplorerRheumatoid Arthritis hubRheumatoid Arthritis biomarkers & interventionsChEMBLOpen Targets

Evidence table

Evidence tierA · Strong
Evidence score50.0 (trials 0.0, literature 30.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0)
Registered trials0 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 0 other
Linked publications10 (5 clinical trial publications, 2 Cochrane reviews, 2 systematic reviews, 1 meta-analysis)
Agent typeDrug (Small molecule)
Development stage (any indication)Approved
Mechanism / classNot recorded
Data sourcesOpen Targets, ChEMBL
Linked via biomarker / targetALOX5
How the evidence score is calculated
  • Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
  • Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
  • The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
  • Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
  • The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.

Registered clinical trials

No registered trial links Indomethacin to Rheumatoid Arthritis in the current OSMF trial extract.

Search ClinicalTrials.gov for newer studies

Published literature

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Mechanism and notes

No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.

OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL, in this case via the biomarker or target ALOX5. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.

Frequently asked questions

Is Indomethacin approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Indomethacin has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Rheumatoid Arthritis would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.

Is Indomethacin in clinical trials for Rheumatoid Arthritis?

No registered clinical trial in this database tests Indomethacin specifically in Rheumatoid Arthritis. The evidence below comes from published literature only, so any clinical signal has not yet been tested prospectively against this condition in a registered study.

What does the evidence show for Indomethacin in Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Synthesis-level literature links Indomethacin to Rheumatoid Arthritis, but no registered trial in this database tests the pair, so the evidence is observational, pooled from other indications, or pre-dates registry practice. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL, in this case via the biomarker or target ALOX5. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.

Cite this page

Open Source Medicine Foundation. Indomethacin for Rheumatoid Arthritis: evidence, trials and status. OSMF Research Tracker. Updated 2026-07-05. https://research.opensourcemed.info/pairs/rheumatoid-arthritis/indomethacin.html

Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.

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This is a research map, not treatment advice. Evidence tiers and scores summarise what has been studied, not whether a treatment works or is safe for you.